Tips for selling on Ebay

System · 9 July 2004 at 12:18PM

I've been trading on eBay for a couple of years and I always seem to do well with it, so I thought I'd offer a few tips (without having a big head)

1. Never ever use a reserve price, they make it hard for people who genuinely want your item to actually win it. Plus if your item doesn't make the reserve, eBay charge you a percentage of that reserve. If you have a minimum price in mind start the auction at that price.

2. Whenever possible start your auction a 99p; I think this saves a bit of money when listing fees, plus people will generally pay the "going rate" for whatever it is your selling and the price will shoot up accordingly.

3. Using Turbolister makes listing straight forward and you can preview it before posting.

4. If you know HTML, use it. Make your auctions as easy to read as possible.

5. Where possible include a shipping cost in the auction so your buyer knows how much it's going to cost when they bid.

6. Don't over inflate shipping, buyers really hate that.

7. When you're listing try to aim for the auction to end between 8:00PM and 9:00 on Tuesday through Thursday. Apparently these are the times when eBay is at it's busiest.

I hope some of these things help you out.

Cheers

Mark

MSE_Martin · 10 July 2004 at 2:55AM

There were some posts here that got a little out of hand. To preserve the intergrity of the discussion they have been deleted

Remember folks "please be nice to other moneysavers" is at the top of every chat page!

System · 10 July 2004 at 3:18PM

it's true that you didnt read the full ad cos of the copy length - but then you werent in the market for that product was you?

someone said a picture says a thousand words - thats bunkum - as a professional seller on ebay i can tell you that pictures do help with the sale and no pictures is not good at all - but they arent worth a thousand words.

copy sells - pictures enhance.

roryis · 11 July 2004 at 5:23PM

best bit of advice i can give are;

Dont overcharge on p+p! and make sure item is sent insured. I hate it when people charge £5 or £10 then just send the item first class

Give as much info as you can and include a picture.

Also if you are posting something without insured delivery (i.e recorded or special ) ask for a certificate of posting, this is free and insures your item for up to £27!

As for making item looks nice, it ok when you only have one item but when you are selling a few it easier and quicker just to have a straight forward format

budgetflyer · 12 July 2004 at 4:17AM

Honesty and quick delivery get you good feedback.
Also create an "about me" page and involve yourself in some of the discussion groups. Your "about me "icon is next to your username when you leave feedback or reply to a discussion. People are "nosy "(I mean that in a nice way

) so they may click on your "about me"icon and see something they like.
Ebay shops are pretty good value at £6 per month as items can be listed at 1p

twins_2_Be · 13 July 2004 at 6:28PM

What is the advice for selling on ebay in terms of you posting the item and them claiming it didn't arrive. Never had a problem before but am selling a PDA (50 quid-ish) and want to make suren they don't claim it didn't arrive.

Normally I get a PROOF OF POSTING slip (free) from the Post Office. The person winning so far has about 30 negative feedbacks out of 720 so there is some worry.

Can I refuse to sell to him or demand he pays for insurance? Maybe I should have provided optional insurance?

payless · 13 July 2004 at 6:34PM

Twins-2-Be

For anything over about £40 I make insurance compulsory in advert
whether Royal mail parcels, or special delivery
( for somthing like a PDA the latter is usually quick, secure and not much more than 1st class recorded)

I have also claimed in SP Delivery for transit damage , no probs

Personally I would think carefully before selling to some one with 30 negs ( even if only 4% of his rating)
( you can kick him off if you want)

cpjackso · 18 July 2004 at 12:41PM

*Buy your brown wrapping paper from the cheapest shops, ie wilkinsons, I usually get my bubble wrap from the fruit and veg boxes in tescos and asda....saving a small fortune.

My Wilkinsons is only small and doesn't sell brown paper but they do have a roll of it by the tills which they use to wrap up glass etc. so if I need some I just ask for a couple of sheets - they are always very helpful and its FREE!!! ;D

Jon_C · 20 July 2004 at 6:28AM

I've only been selling for a couple of months now but I think it's a good idea to give as full and honest a description of the item as possible.

If there are flaws or you think someone might mistake it for another item, it's usually a good idea to prevent complaints before they have a chance to happen by making the item description and postal charges/arrangements clear in the first place.

Always use recorded (signed-for) delivery and specify this in your listing. It means that you can track your item and if the buyer claims that it hasn't been delivered, you can prove, at an early stage, that it was delivered and signed for by someone.

If quoting the tracker's response on the Royal Mail website (https://www.royalmail.co.uk under 'track and trace') doesn't put off a potential fraudster or, on the other hand, reassure an honest buyer, then you can obtain proof/details of receipt from Royal Mail for a couple of pounds extra.

And of course, if the item genuinely has been lost in the post, you can refund your buyer while seeking compensation yourself from Royal Mail (although valuable items require more specialised services than plain old 'recorded - signed for').

JIMJAM_4 · 20 July 2004 at 7:22PM

Like you I'm a seasoned net user and I research every aspect of an item before I hunt for it on Ebay - including spec, reviews, and prices (Kelkoo, Dealtime, Ebuyer etc).

all good bussines rely on people unlike Rokkster; impulse buyers

Long life stupid impulse buyer who spend way too much on things

Tips for selling on Ebay

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